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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake (small batch, one bowl)

This lemon poppy seed cake is made in one bowl and is yogurt-based, which means you do not have to wait for your butter to soften! It is moist and rich and combines the two amazing flavors lemon and poppy seed. I recently bought poppy seeds for my easter cake (marbled carrot poppy seed cake - take a look at it here) and looked up new recipes I could try with my remaining poppy seeds and then I found the famous lemon poppy seed cake. Honestly, I think, this flavor combination is quite popular at the moment - I saw lemon poppy seed cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and many more. But I love a versatile flavor combo that is so perfect for spring and summer.


Which ingredients do we need for the lemon poppy seed cake?

I use some basic ingredients for this cake, nothing fancy- so you probably have everything at home. Like I said in the beginning, this cake is yogurt-based so we need yogurt. I am using a non-sweetened plain white yogurt with 3,8% fat. I haven't tried it with other yogurts, so I cannot say how a change will affect the texture of the cake.

We also need oil, which acts as a replacement for butter, too. I am using a neutral-flavored rapeseed oil. But I am sure melted coconut oil or olive oil will work as well. They just have a more intense taste themselves. 

Furthermore, we need all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, 2 eggs (size medium), sugar, 60g fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and poppy seeds. I use ground poppy seeds for this recipe.

On top of my cake, I made a simple glaze out of powdered sugar and more lemon juice. In my opinion, that really enhances the lemon flavor even more and you should not skip this step!

For decoration purposes, I added some lemon slices and some daisies.

Which size is the lemon poppy seed cake?

I made a relatively small cake:  it is made in an 18cm / 7'' pan. You could also choose an even smaller baking tin (that just means your cake will bake even longer) but I would not recommend using a larger pan. Because if doing so, the cake is going to be very flat. If you want, you can also transfer the batter into muffin tins and make lemon poppy seed muffins with this recipe!




RECIPE:

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp lemon zest
  • 130g sugar
  • 2 eggs (medium)
  • 190 plain white yogurt ( I used one with 3, 8 % fat)
  • 125g oil
  • 60g freshly made lemon juice (approximately the juice of 1,5 small lemons)
  • 250g all-purpose flour
  • 1,5 tsp baking powder
  • 0,5 tsp baking soda
  • 15g ground poppy seeds
  • 80g powdered sugar (for the glaze)
  • juice of half a lemon(for the glaze)
Instructions:

1. Start by prepping your baking tin by lining it and preheating your oven to 180°C/ 356°F.
2. In a bowl, start by rubbing the lemon zest into the sugar. Then add the eggs, and whisk until fluffy. 
3. Add in the yogurt and oil, as well as the lemon juice. If you want, you could also add some vanilla extract for even more flavor.
4. Slowly sift the flour, baking powder, and soda into the wet ingredients. Also, add in the poppy seeds at this point. Then stir until just combined. The batter will have some flour lumps, but these will dissolve in the oven.
5. Fill the batter into your baking tin.
6. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 60-70 minutes.
7. For the glaze, add the powdered sugar into a small bowl and slowly add the lemon juice. Then stir until a smooth, thick glaze is created.
8. Top the cake with the glaze and optional lemon slices and enjoy!

If you tried this recipe, I would be happy if you tag me in your photo! (@tamrasbakings)

For more sweet recipes, visit my recipe index with many more! Click here to discover them!

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